I Care
by ryuu no me
Summary: Sasuke gets hurt in a battle and realizes something important. Mild SasukeSakura


**_I Care_** by ryuu no me

Author's Note: My first Naruto fanfic! And a one-shot, too! This really surprises me…

DISCLAIMER: Don't own Naruto…I'm going to cry…

Pairing: mild SasukeSakura

* * *

_Sasuke's Point of View_

"Sasuke-kun, look out!"

Alerted by Sakura's scream, I spun around. I saw a black blur, headed for the trees. Without second thought, I threw a kunai at it, hitting the ground with a dull _thunk_. This was not good. Naruto was bleeding badly from the previous battle and was unable to stand, let alone, fight. Sakura was running low on chakra; she was saving the last bit to heal Naruto. Kakashi was nowhere to be found.

I thought about activating my Sharingan, but decided against it. I wasted enough chakra already.

Scanning the surrounding area, I analyzed the situation. We were in a forest clearing, with tall, looming trees everywhere. There was a small pond to the left of us and the dense bushes made a reasonable place for the enemy to lurk. It was just past sunset, making the entire forest dark and hard to see.

Instead of trying to distinguish anything in the dimming light, I strained to listen for a sound. Any sound.

There! Throwing some shuriken at the noise, I wasn't surprised to see a black-clad figure drop out of the branches. His face was hidden behind a mask, but, from his headband, I could tell he was from the sound village.

Charging head-on, I whipped out another kunai and aimed it at his neck. Metal clashed against metal as he blocked the attack. Leaping back a few feet, I gathered my strength and shoot forward. Sparks flew as our weapons collided again and again.

As if coming through water, I heard Sakura scream. Turning my head, I saw a small group of enemy ninja encircling my teammates. The distraction was brief, but my opponent managed to deal a hard blow to my upper arm. Choosing to ignore it, I turned on the Sharingan.

It was as if some fog had cleared up. I noticed every, little detail and every movement, from the rustle of the leaves to the fast movements of my enemy.

Wasting no time, I finished him off as quickly as possible, before running, full speed, toward my comrades.

The first couple was easy, I took them from behind. The next few were harder, they had seen their teammates go down.

Ramming a fist into one of my enemy's stomach, I watched him cough up blood, which stained his mask a vivid crimson. Quickly dodging kunai and various other weapons thrown by some of the others, I left the ninja coughing up blood there. That was my fatal mistake.

After I dispatched the remaining shinobi, I turned to the one that was left. Finding him not there, the cold feeling of dread dropped into the pit of my stomach. Wasting no time, I used the last bit of my chakra and sprinted toward Sakura and Naruto.

But I was already too late.

By the time I got there, the shuriken had left his hand, aiming toward the fallen Naruto. Sakura was protecting him by standing in the way of the deadly missile. She was going to get the both of them killed.

My mind told me that I would never make it, not even if I had been able to go full speed. However, it was as if a different force had taken over my body, making me run at ratesa human, even a shinobi, could never reach.

I really don't know what I was thinking. My weapons were all gone, imbedded in enemies or trees, my chakra was completely used up, and I had no way of deflecting the shuriken. Yet, I kept running. In truth, I couldn't have stopped even if I wanted to. Which I didn't.

I think I finally understand. This different force, the one that propelled me to protect them…it was my heart. I…didn't want to see them hurt. Or killed.

So, without thought, I shoved Sakura out of the way. After that, everything was blurry. I could feel a dull pain in my abdomen and I thought I heard Sakura saying something. Then, I passed out.

* * *

_Sakura's Point of View_

Two weeks. It's been two weeks since that incident. And he still hasn't shown any sign of waking.

After he collapsed, I did the best I could defending the both of them. But, it was a major relief when Kakashi-sensei showed up.

Naruto had been fine after six days. He was going to be released tomorrow.

Sasuke-kun had not been so lucky. Technically, he should be healed and ready to go, by now. His wounds had been healed and his chakra levels restored. But he hadn't woken up. Not once.

"Sasuke-kun…please wake up…" I whispered, holding back the threatening tears. It was all my fault. If I had just been a little stronger…maybe this wouldn't have happened.

"I'm sorry…" There was no stopping the tears, now. My vision blurred up and I felt hot, drops of water run down my face. Soon, I was sobbing uncontrollably.

It was my fault. It was ALL MY FAULT. How could I have let this happen? If it hadn't been for me, Sasuke-kun would have been perfectly fine. Not in the hospital. If it hadn't been for me, everyone would be a lot happier. Naruto and Sasuke-kun wouldn't have to hurt themselves protecting me. Kakashi-sensei wouldn't have to train such a useless student. I-

"Sakura."

That sounded almost like…

"Sakura, stop crying. I hate it when you cry."

I hastily wiped the tears from my face. He was awake. Staring at me with those obsidian black eyes.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered. His features registered a vague look of confusion.

"For what?"

"I'm sorry for you getting hurt. I'm sorry you got hurt protecting me. I'm sorry-"

"Sakura."

"-if I'd been a little stronger-"

"Sakura."

"-I keep holding you and Naruto back. I'm sorry-"

He placed a hand over my mouth. I stopped talking.

"Sakura."

I stared at him. He still didn't remove his hand.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Sakura. I _wanted_ to protect you. And Naruto."

I tore his hand away and blurted out, "But _why_, Sasuke-kun?"

He was silent. I could see an inner turmoil raging in his mind. When he looked at me, again, his gaze was intense.

"Because Team 7 has been the closest thing to a family I had since I was little," he told me, quietly, "Because you and that dobe are my friends. Because I didn't want to see you hurt." There was a pause. Then, he added in an even quieter tone:

"Because I care."

* * *

Author's Note: I know it really sucks, but I just had to get it out of my head. I hope I didn't make Sasuke or Sakura too OOC. I never realized how hard it is to write people in character. Hopefully, I will be able to write a better Naruto fanfic in the future, but, for now, bear with me. Please read and review.

Thank you!


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